Puffer Fish® Panicle Hydrangea

A tuft of white florets pops out of the tip of each flower head on this panicle hydrangea as it ages, like a spray of water. Hydrangea paniculata Puffer Fish® 'NCHP1' grows 3 to 5 feet tall and wide in full sun to part sun, hardy from Zone 3 through Zone 8. The blooms are dense and fluffy, thick enough that the foliage nearly disappears at peak. They open pure white in midsummer, hold white for weeks, then age to soft lime green, with some pink late in the season. Panicle hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata, takes more sun than any other common hydrangea and flowers on new wood from midsummer into fall. Buds form in spring on the current year's growth, so a hard winter or a late frost does not cost it a season of bloom, and soil pH has no effect on the color. Most panicle hydrangeas open white or green and age to pink or red. That change is driven by cool nights, so northern gardens color up strongly while warmer southern gardens tend to hold cream and soft blush instead. Cut back by about a third in late winter or early spring. Panicle hydrangeas take average soil as long as it drains, and once established they handle dry spells better than the other hydrangea groups. Upright, strong stems carry the flower load, and the size fits a border, a foundation bed, or a large container.